What Doesn't Kill Me
by Readwitch
Summary: Her first plan may not have worked.  Finn didn't show and Sam only came to the rescue, which wasn't really helpful in the long run.  Kurt is leaving to Dalton, and Rachel finds this unacceptable.  But, it's okay, because she has a plan.
1. What Doesn't Kill Me

Just a little two-shot I'm writing between chapters for my other story. The beginning is a little rambly, but it does heat up. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head, even if it is somewhat unlikely.

Done with school for the semester, so more for What Rachel Knows is coming, the second part of this, and possibly a sequel It Happened One Night.

What Doesn't Kill Me: A Two-Shot

Rachel Barbra Berry – McKinley High School's New Directions' female lead and a future Broadway star, had a plan. Or rather, she had another plan.

The fact was, they needed Kurt. Not just as the twelfth member and one of the better singers, but he is one of them and they need him to be complete. She may not be especially close to him, they are definitely not best friends, but she respects him and sees a little bit of herself in him. Like she told him, they really are quite similar. The problem is, she is a very quick thinker.

She's not being arrogant or anything. It's just…she tends to think before she acts, even if, sometimes, she acts quickly enough that it doesn't always show. Pros and Cons lists, for instance, are a staple in her life and she tends, before any major decision, to make them, even if they are just mental lists, and this does helps her reflect on her actual reasons for her actions.

For instance, when she told Finn about Quinn's indiscretion with Noah, and the horrible lie that followed, she had a mental lists that she was concocting even as she talks with him. On the con side (why she shouldn't tell him) were the obvious reasons. She wasn't actually a part of the relationship, so was it her secret to tell? Would the following drama affect their chances at regionals? What would happen to Noah and Finn's relationship? Was there even the slightest chance that she was wrong?

All of that were fine. The problems came with her pro list (why she should tell him). Honesty is the best policy. He's your friend and he deserves to know. All of the stress of the secret has been damaging three of her team's vocalists. He wouldn't need to lie about a disability to have a job anymore. And, yes, the first thing on her list was that Finn would break up with Quinn and turn to Rachel for comfort. The deciding factor, the one part that really made her decision for her, occurred when she was talking to him. This lie was hurting him so much. The stress and pressure was not just bad for glee club, but it was also tearing Finn apart. And that tipped the scale. She didn't have many friends. Finn was basically it. So above everything else, she would help the only friend she had, especially since his other friends weren't.

Unfortunately, things didn't happen like they planned. He really was heart-broken (which was completely understandable), but also so angry. She had never seen such anger with him, hadn't known he was capable of it really. For a moment, when he was yelling and kicking at chairs in the choir room, she wanted to take it all back. He deserved to know, but…

And when she decided to purposely fail the duet competition, of course she had a mental pro/con list. And, regrettably, that list did include items like taking Quinn off the market so she wouldn't be an option for Finn and show people she can lose gracefully. And, yes, having enough people to compete in Sectionals and possibly end up winning Nationals was also there too. However, so was encouraging her new teammate and showing him how great glee could be. She just naturally thought of all the possibilities and compared them. She had even added that it would be good for Quinn to be shown that glee supports her even when she is not pregnant and an outcast. That, just because she had her popularity back, didn't mean glee still wasn't a vital part of her day. Just because she thought out all of her possibilities and her reasons didn't mean she was selfish, just smart. It was smart to make the most informed choice possible.

Selfish was choosing an option that had more cons than pros because of a pro that particularly profited her. Which she had done in the past.

This was different though. She did care about Kurt, more than just as the twelfth member, and she knew what it was like to be him, tortured and tormented for some uncontrollable part of himself. And, while she persevered and held strong in the face of it, she could give speeches on how hard it was sometimes. She didn't want other people feeling like that, especially not a teammate, if there was even the slightest possibility she could help. And she knew, even though there was the general air of intolerance and bullying at McKinley, that it was the Karofsky situation causing most of the problems.

What was worse, though, is that it seemed to be escalating. Her first idea did not pan out, though she hopes the duet at least helped a little. She also hopes that it wasn't Finn's reluctance to participate that caused her plan to fail.

She is not stupid – she's actually in the top five percentile at their school – so of course she is aware that Finn is not perfect and neither is their relationship, though she really doesn't like to let people in on this. He can, she knows, be cowardly, thoughtless, and even hurtful. He lacks perception and self-awareness, and he is as obsessed with being seen as the leader and the nice guy as he is with popularity in general. It's funny at times because, despite popular opinion about his intelligence, he does display as startling amount of emotional intelligence that he tends to ignore these days in favor of that popularity. He had always been able to, with a few notable exceptions, read the emotions of those around him and was sensitive enough to act accordingly, but know seems to play the ignorant card to get out of doing the right thing, when Rachel _knows_ he knows better. Sometimes Rachel wonders if it was the effect of everything happening last year, his dip in popularity and all the baby drama, or if their relationship really is toxic.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be liked or thought about in a certain manner– it was why she created the Run, Joey, Run video and she, more than anyone, knows that need to be showered with accolades and applause, but, once again, it is the matter of selfishness. Finn had to choose between the easy choice that benefitted him, or the hard choice that stop's his brother from feeling terrorized at school. Finn, once again, let selfish desire control his actions, or rather his inactions, and that was the only reason he wasn't there for Kurt.

Rachel has flaws too. Some of them, in fact, are very similar to Finn's, if shown in a somewhat different manner, and some of them are the complete opposite. Rachel, as Finn said, or tried to say, on the first day of school, was controlling. She was attention seeking and selfish. She talked too much about things nobody else cared about. She was ambitious and craved applause and renown, but lacked the social grace, and probably that emotional intelligence that Finn had, to get it. She could be manipulative and clever, using any means necessary (crack houses and "rumors" about pedophilia included) to get what she wanted. She dressed weird and acted annoying and had no friends. She knows about these flaws because her peers have hurtled comments about them at her since she started school. She has made it a point to be self-aware and completely honest with herself, partly because she figured it would help her in her goals in the long run and partly to try and figure out what was wrong with her that nobody liked her. She has analyzed her actions to that end and although she could never complexly figure it out, she knows that some self-delusion, while it may have shielded her feelings at time, would have just hindered her growth as a person and one-day star.

Her and Finn both have their shares of flaws, everybody does, but Finn stays with her despite her flaws, so she tries to look past his. Mr. Shuester once said that she would find somebody one day who would like everything about her that she hates, and she knows Finn isn't there yet, but he might someday. In return, she tries to be that person for him. It's not as though she should like every flaw of his, though. She should also try and help him grow and be a better person, just like he makes her want to be better sometimes.

So, yes, when he failed to help Kurt in his time of need, she still stood up for him in front of the rest of glee club. She was on his side and had his back, trying to help him achieve what is important to him. But, when they were basically alone, she still let him know how she felt about the situation. She knows he wasn't just late to the party, knows that he allowed Mike and Artie to try and stand up alone to Karofsky, Sam jumping in when things started to get out of control. She is disappointed in him, and she told him so, not to make him feel bad about himself, but because, out of all of them, Finn is the one who should be standing up for Kurt the most. They are brothers. She talked to him about it, privately, so that he would think about his actions, reflect on them closely, and learn something, maybe make a different choice in the future.

She doesn't want him to grow, by the way, for her. She wants him to grow for him. Finn, truthfully and pathetically, is all she really has. She is clingy and needy with him, sometimes, because, for her, he is more than just a boyfriend, he is her best and only friend, and it is that part of their relationship that she treasures the most. She thinks, sometimes, that she would be okay if they broke up, as long as they remained friends, but she knows that really wouldn't happen. When she had Jesse, she still had Finn because he wanted to be with her and was willing to fight for her. The fact that he cared about her so much, that he loved her enough, that he didn't sleep with Santana when he had the chance meant the world to her. It meant that he loved her enough that, even when she was with another man, he would choose being alone to being with someone who wasn't her. She thought that was incredible.

Sometimes, though, she wondered where that Finn went. When her and Jesse had their less than amicable break-up, she really would have preferred to not go into another relationship right away. She is self-aware enough to know that, between Jesse and Shelby, she was a little messed up, still is really, and that's probably why she is taking things with Finn very, very slow. Jesse got a lot further than Finn ever did in a much shorter time period, even if she didn't give him her virginity. Sometimes, though, and this is going to sound really bad, when the relationship drama is just too much, she feels like the only reason she's dating him, that she's making out with him, is so she won't lose him as a friend. She loves him, she really does, but she doesn't really know if she's in love with him the way she thought she was last year. And that not knowing is the real reason she can only go so far with him physically.

At the beginning of the year, she tried to get him to chose her over football. She really didn't care about the sport of his popularity, she just wanted to see if he would chose her like Noah did and like Jesse at first appeared to. She would have told him to go back to the football team if he had, but she was feeling lost, remembering last year when he was the only one who chose football over glee. She wanted to be the only thing he needed because, that was true, she could stand him being the only thing she had. Her being enough for him is the only way him having t be enough for her would be okay. But it wasn't. She wasn't.

Considering his flaws and fluctuating popularity, she doesn't know if Finn would have really made all that much of a difference in her Kurt-vention (that's a Kurt intervention), but he was one of the more important options. Him and Sam, who only jumped in at the last minute and she doesn't know if this was a personal choice or if Quinn, with all her feminist beliefs, didn't tell her the plan. Artie is in a wheelchair and Mike is quiet and in the background, so those two confronting Karofsky by themselves may have made things worse. Ego is a powerful thing and his wouldn't let those two alone get him to leave Kurt alone. That's why, despite Quinn's speech, she needed the guys to confront him. It wouldn't be too bad if he stopped because one of the most popular guys in school and his friends, football team jocks, pushed at him to stop, even if Noah could only be there in spirit. But, without Finn and Sam only joining at the last minute, they really didn't stand a chance.

There was absolutely no way he would have stopped if the female members had done _anything_, his ego wouldn't have allowed it.

Now Rachel would have to step into her secondary plan. Even though it was less likely to work, she had started with the first plan because it was mostly non-violent (they were threatening violence, but it was Karofsky that had made it happen) and, if Karofsky had listened to reason, wouldn't have hurt anyone in the short or long run. Now she had to escalate things and, this plan, was potentially life ruining. She hated to do it, but Kurt really was worth it and it was only as much as Karofsky deserved.

The plan was ready and just in time. Kurt was, apparently planning on actually switching schools to get away from Karofsky and she couldn't let that brute chase Kurt away. Kurt would be gone soon, though, so it was lucky that everything was aligning perfectly to allow her to pull of her plan a little earlier than normal.

"Plan "Bait and Ditch" alpha is a go," she whispered to herself during her homeroom, ignoring the worried glance Tina shot her. She continued examining her timetable, a cross referencing sheet with Karofsky's class schedule and a very important visiting superintendent. She would have to plan this just right. The second the bell rang signaling they had six minutes to get to their first period class, she had shot out of the room like a rocket.

"Did you see her face," Tina asked her boyfriend, concern painting her expression.

"What," he asked, not having been sitting next to Rachel like Tina had been, but ready to listen to whatever she had observed.

"She's planning something. The last time I saw that look was when she called the girls together and before that an Asian got sent to a crack house," Tina explained, half hoping that whatever her plan was would only effect those in glee club. Mike pulled a worried expression.

"Maybe she has a plan to replace Kurt already," he offered, hoping to put Tina's mind at ease, even though he doubted that was the situation.

"We can only hope," she said as they left their homeroom. They gave each other a quick goodbye kiss, before separating to different classes, Mike heading towards the front of the building while Tina was going the opposite direction.

Rachel was rushing. Normally she wasn't one to run in the hallways, but she had a very limited timeline to stick to and she had to be in front of the newly reinstated Figgins' office in less than a minute. She gave a sigh of relief when the office came into sight and a triumphant smirk when she saw the superintendent, a tall, skinny black women who, Rachel knew from experience in protests she had led, had a terrific no-nonsense attitude. At the other end of the hallway, Karofsky appeared, separating from his friends at the corner. Perfect.

She adjusted all of her very thick clothing, the fluffy winter coat was only acceptable when one realized it was almost winter in Ohio, but it really belonged in her locker by now, and cleared her face. As Karofsky was passing directly in front of the glass office, Rachel intentionally ran into him, just a shoulder to shoulder brush that most people would have ignored. Rachel didn't offer the normal apology and could only hope Karofsky would play his part correctly.

"Watch it, Freak," he grumbled, half-heartedly, giving her a light shove. It was his first day back, Kurt's first day of absence, and he still couldn't act like a gentlemen. Rachel set her face in anger.

"You watch it, Jerk," she snarled, hiding the triumph that blossomed as his face shifted to shock then anger.

"What did you say to me?" he asked incredulously, not quite believing she had the audacity to speak to him in such a manner. Still, his disbelief did not prevent him from taking a menacing step in her direction, and Rachel steadied herself. This would be a little scary, possibly painful, but was really for the best. She swallowed and stood up straight, glare in place.

"I believe you heard me, Karofsky, and it was a rather simple sentence so you shouldn't have had too much trouble grasping the meaning," she spit out, sarcastic and biting, doing her best to channel Santana Lopez.

"You're pushing it, Berry. You better walk away before I get angry," he snarled, even closer than before and face turning red. This was the moment, here is where she had to make things look natural, but push him over the edge. She knew she was drawing a crowd, was counting on it, but the bell would ring soon. She figures most of the students would stay to see the end of the confrontation, which means teachers would come looking and finish this before she had concluded her plan. She steeled her nerves, not even allowing herself the reprieve of a deep breath. This was it. She really wished plan one had worked.

"Like you made Kurt walk away," she starts, building up steam. His body tenses at the mention of Kurt. "It may not seem like it at times, but Kurt was my friend and you bullied and threatened him until he had no choice but to run from you. That is the last straw. You can pick on the glee kids all you want, mock us and push us around, but I am not backing down. You want to try and attack me like you did Kurt, go ahead, but I'll attack right back."

His eyes are glaring and he is right next to her and she really wished she was taller. This is the part where he pushes her, and he does, against the lockers, trying to intimidate her without actually attacking her.

"Like you could," he baits her, but she is prepared, ready. Because she really does know how to manipulate a situation. She may get messed up sometimes, trying to figure out how people work and why they dislike like her. But she does know how to push peoples buttons. She is largely nonviolent, but sometimes she really wants to get revenge on people. The best revenge, though, is when they don't know it's revenge. Sometimes she just lets all the worst aspects of her personality out, exaggerated and playing it up, and she gives them what they expect, but certainly don't want. She may or may not have been pushing Quinn's buttons for ages. And one thing she has learned, what her former plan also relied on, is the popularity obsessed tormenters were all ego and, honestly, could be so easily pushed around with public opinion.

So she chose to provoke by attacking his ego, by making him worry about public opinion. The fact that he chose Kurt to bully the most gave her the most information about what made him tick. She didn't know why he was so homophobic, but she didn't care the reasons at this time. All she knew was that it was the rope he was giving her to hang with him, perfect fodder to turn his incredulous disbelief into boiling uncontrollable rage.

"Maybe not physically," she speaks, low so only the two of them can hear, "but I was the one who stole Finn Hudson from Quinn Fabray. I was the one who, in my freshman year, didn't get the solo from the glee club teacher and had him fired for being a pedophile." She quirks her eyebrow at him, face hopefully showing only malicious glee – and she was thankful his frame was blocking the surrounding crowd from seeing that expression, it was meant only to spur him forward. She pushed away from him at that moment and he stumbled, not expecting. She had to be ready cause this was it. She turned, face clear, and shouted.

"Just because you couldn't control your closeted desires around Kurt, doesn't mean the rest of us are going to continue to take your repressed hostility," she says, clear and loud for the whole hallway to hear. Everyone falls silent and Karofsky freezes for just a moment before he is screaming at her.

"What did you say?" he yells, a tinge of laughter in his tone, but she can see an honest fear in his eyes that startles her. It doesn't stop her though, and she wonders what Karofsky honestly expects her answer to be.

"Everyone else treats us all like scum, but you put so much focus on Kurt that he had to transfer to get away from you. I have two gay dads, I've read literature. The type of homophobia I see coming from you screams self-hating closet case. I don't care. I –" and she's cut off. She doesn't know if any of her words have even a hint of truth to them, in her experience, this area seems to have a shadow of homophobia falling on it. But his reaction, his exploding anger as he shoves her hard and fast, pushing to the floor as he yells gibberish, tells her, at least, that it was a good area to attack.

Surprisingly, the students are quick to react. She may not have a very high opinion of her classmates, but, no matter how much they dislike her, this is not the sort of situation that you just watch with awe. Maybe at first, but this isn't two students fighting. This isn't the time when you form a ring and shout juvenile chants. This is a boy, a large jock, attacking a tiny girl. He is only on her for a second, only the initial shove and a partial shove in, when he is pulled off her. She notices that Mike Chang was one of them doing the pulling and is honestly a little surprised to see Trevor, one of the band boys, also helping pull Karofsky away.

What really surprises her, though, is Quinn at the front of the crowd, eyes wide open in shock. It makes sense that she was there. Like Mike, Rachel is pretty sure that Quinn has a class in the general area. Standing rigid and staring, the other girl looks like she's in shock, and Rachel doesn't know how much of the fight she had seen. Maybe all of it or maybe just the end. She seems to shudder out of her shock and, even though the two aren't really friends, she immediately makes her way to Rachel's side.

Teachers are, by this time, drawn out to the hallway from the commotion, and Rachel is pleased to see that this includes Figgins and the superintendent. Mike, the only gleek besides Quinn that she can see, shoves Karofsky away to be held back by a couple of hockey players and jumps to her side.

"Shit, Rachel, are you okay?" he asks, face a perfect picture of concern. Quinn is silent as she has an uncharacteristic expression of distress. She smiles unsteadily at him and allows the two of them to help her up as she cradles her ribs. She hurts, but it's not that bad and it is, after all, entirely her fault at this point, so she sucks it up.

"I'm – I'm fine," she gasps and waits for Figgins to walk over. He is stuck, just for amount, seemingly unable to decide what he should do first, attend to her, yell at Karofsky, or dismiss the lingering students. The superintendent takes the decision out of his hands.

"Everybody to their classes, this isn't a TV show," she shouts to the crowd, face stern with her hands on her hips. Everybody listens. She turns to Karofsky, still being held by the hockey boys as Trevor glares. They release him as she storms up, a fierce scowl glaring down at the boy. "You are to go to the principal's office and stay there until I return. Your father is being called in immediately."

Karofsky slinks into the office, face a mixture of terror and rage, and the superintendent grabs one of the teachers. Quietly telling the man to go and sit with the boy. Finally, she turns to Rachel and Mike.

"I'm Mrs. Johnson, the superintendent, and I can guarantee you that we will get to the bottom of this, but first let's get you to the nurse," she assures kindly, face much more gentle now. Rachel, eyes still on the floor, nods and gathers her things. Mike, of course, helps her. She feels a little bad about that, since she did plan most of this, but she really can't tell him that. Mrs. Johnson nods at Quinn, no doubt assuming the two girls are friends, "Can you help her to the nurses office while I make some arrangements with the other boy? I'll be right in."

At Quinn's nod, Mrs. Johnson turns to Mike and asks gently, "I don't want to tear you away, but would you mind coming with me and explaining the situation. I will of course get…" and she turns to Rachel who quickly introduces herself softly, "Rachel's story, but I think her welfare is most important right now, but still want to hear both sides before talking to the parents." Mike, one of the more moral of the football players, is quick to agree and the two head to Figgins' office.

Quinn nods easily and is quick to grab her books and bag and the two head to the nurses office in silence. She doesn't really feel like talking, and Quinn doesn't seem to know what to say. The two normally don't talk and anything they say now would just be really awkward. Still, she is grateful for the other girl's presence. They may not get along normally, even arguing earlier this week, but there is no doubt Quinn has a presence. She holds the door open for Rachel as they enter the nurses' area, though she is nowhere to be found, and helps her settle into one of the empty cots. It's only when they are seated that Quinn speaks.

"Are you okay?" she asks quietly, and Rachel can only bring herself to nod, not quite up to talking to the other girl. "I never, I mean, I knew he had shoved Kurt and everything, but that was so far out of line. With all those witnesses and everything, and so soon after the suspension, there is no way he's not getting expelled." Quinn's voice is low and there is a definite note of incredulity there, as if she doesn't quite understand how she ended up alone with Rachel Berry in the nurses office. Rachel keeps her eyes on the floor and tries not to get her hopes up. This may have been her plan all along, but she knew better than to count her chickens before they hatched.

Quinn looks at Rachel, a glint in her eye, and Rachel shifts awkwardly. Quinn probably wasn't the best one to be helping her here.

"Why did you do that?" the older girl asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"Hmm," Rachel tried to avoid the question, hoping not to get into it right now. She would be ready when Mrs. Johnson started asking questions. She was, after all, the victim, so Mrs. Johnson would be gentle and tender and not out looking for motives. Plus, her nerves were a little shot right now, and she just really wanted some recovery time.

"You know how crazy Karofsky can be. There is a reason Kurt transferred, after all, why would you antagonize him like that," Quinn asked again, eyes pinning Rachel down. She knew she really couldn't evade the question, so she let out a sigh and looked Quinn straight in the eye.

"I am so _sick_ of him and all these other jock jerks who get to do whatever they want and have absolutely no consequences. I don't normally say anything, Quinn, because he is a bigoted, short-tempered male who is twice my size. That is why I tried to get the other males to reason with him earlier. Not because I don't believe I am equal to them or because I want my boyfriend to fight my battle, but because this is apparently the end result of confronting him myself," she spoke, as clearly as possible. "I am sick of sitting around, though, and letting them walk all over me. I have enough of it from people I have to get along with, I won't take it from him any longer."

"Wait," Quinn starts, a stricken look on her face, "Are you saying you stood up to him because of what I said earlier. I mean, I stand by it, but I wasn't telling you to pick a fight with him." Rachel rolled her eyes. Trust her to make all of Rachel's actions revolve around her.

"I could care less about what you said before, Quinn. I know who I am and what my worth is and I chose the first plan specifically because I knew the only non-violent way to get through Karofsky's thick head was through threats from someone he would have a legitimate reason to back off from. I had to take his ego into consideration. Even if Santana went after him, and I hear she has razor blades in her hair, his ego wouldn't allow him to be stopped by a girl. Of course, it would have worked better if Sam and Finn would have been a part of it from the start," and Rachel may or may not be rambling by the end. Quinn has a funny look on her face, wary, and Rachel gets worried. "What?"

"First plan. What does that mean?" Quinn asks suspiciously, and Rachel can't stop herself from freezing up. Crap. Of course, out of everyone, it would have to be Quinn who had a class close by and sent to help her to the nurses. Just about anyone else in glee club wouldn't have noticed that tiny slip or, if they had, wouldn't care enough to bring it up.

"I…uh," Rachel starts, knowing she has to say something, anything, but her normally wonderful mind is just not coming up with anything. This is why she plans! Details and consistencies! Her skill with improvisation really isn't the best! She should schedule some more improv classes!

She quickly grabbed her planner from her book bag and put in a little notation for the future, writing it down just in case her memory fails her. Quinn's giving her another weird look, so she hastily puts the planner away.

"Did you plan this?" Quinn asks calmly, even though her face is still tinged with disbelief. Rachel, still not sure what to say, gives a hesitant, jerky nod. Almost immediately, Quinn chokes out a short, disbelieving laugh, and, for a moment, she's not looking at Rachel, "Why?"

Rachel takes a deep breath. She doesn't really know what to say, she wasn't exactly planning on telling anyone that this was planned. This could ruin everything. But maybe, just maybe, if she could just articulate it well enough, Quinn won't rat her out. Why could Quinn always see through her plans?

"It was for Kurt," Rachel starts, and Quinn almost immediately frowns. She looks like she wants to say something, so Rachel lets her interrupt. She figures it will just be a denial that Rachel would do something for someone else, like the accusations from Finn and even Kurt in the past, and would rather get it out of the way.

"Kurt's transferring. How is you getting Karofsky to beat you up going to help?" Quinn asks, and it's not really the question she was expecting, but it's an easy enough question to answer. In fact, it's easy enough that she rolls her eyes a little in response.

"It was, like, two hits and the actual violence wasn't the goal. What comes next is the goal. He was suspended for his problems with Kurt and, on his first day back, he gets into a physical altercation with another student, a small, female student, right in front of the principal's office on the day the superintendent is visiting. He's getting expelled. This was Kurt's first day not going to McKinley and I don't think he's officially enrolled at Dalton yet, though he might be getting started. I'm ninety percent sure that, at this point, Kurt can still come back without having wasted his parents' honeymoon money," Rachel says, very quickly, and it leaves Quinn staring at her in astonishment.

The entire time, Rachel had been sitting down on one of the nurses' cots, but Quinn had stayed standing, preferring to look down on the other girl. After the speech, though, she moves and sits softly right next to Rachel. She doesn't, however, look at the other girl.

"How long did this take you to plan?" Quinn asked softly, and Rachel's brow furrowed. Quinn could be so confusing sometimes, and, right now, Rachel was having a hard time getting a read on her.

"Uh, not, not long. I came up with it during the initial brainstorming session, but put it on the back burner. Why?" Rachel asked, and this was really a conversation now. Rachel hoped they could finish it up before the superintendent came in. Or the nurse, wherever she was, if they even had one.

"I just, me and Santana and the jocks and- everyone here has been… harsh towards you for such a long time. If you could so easily come up with a plan like this…why didn't you before, like with me or the jocks? At least try to get us to back off a little," Quinn questions, still not looking at her. Rachel blinks, she really didn't expect the question, nor is it something she readily has an answer to. She had honestly never thought about it.

"Quinn…if this plan works, and there is no guarantee that it will, Karofsky is going to be expelled. If he's lucky, he'll be the one going to a new school. His family will think less of him, he, most likely, won't be able to talk with his friends as much, and his time on the football team is definitely gone. His life is basically ruined. I tried something less drastic before this, but, that failed. And the less drastic method would have failed on you for much the same reasons," Rachel explains, and, while she had never given much thought to it, it is the truth. She would much rather become friends with these people than get revenge on them. Quinn should know that.

"After all, I believe in second chances and forgiveness. I wouldn't want to take the possibility away." Quinn still isn't looking at her, but she is ringing her hands together in a somewhat nervous fashion.

"Then why did you do it. If second chances are so important, if you believe in forgiveness or whatever, then why did you follow through with this?" Quinn asks harshly. Rachel doesn't get why she keeps questioning, especially when the answers obvious.

"I will admit that I am slightly regretful that it has come to this, and I can't predict how the other jocks and bullies will react to this, but no matter what, Kurt was more important. Kurt mattered." Rachel says, and her voice is not timid or questioning. It is strong and clear because this was one thing she was absolutely sure of. For the first time since she sat down, Quinn lifts her head and looks at her.

"Aren't you?"

Rachel is taken aback, not sure how to answer. Of course Rachel believed she mattered, that she was important, but it was different. The entire school thought so little of Rachel, not just the homophobic jocks. The problem, therefore, was probably with her. And besides, Rachel could take it. The taunts and abuse. Slushee showers and egg pelting. She was strong enough to withstand them. She would come out stronger. She would survive.

She was about to tell Quinn exactly this, when the door open and the two girls jerked away from each other, Quinn jumping off the cot. The superintendent had returned carrying a manila folder. Rachel shot a nervous glance at the standing Quinn, hoping she wouldn't blow her plan.


	2. Makes Me Stronger

Makes Me Stronger

For how much of a wreck their school is, what with the rampant bullying and lackluster grades, the superintendent actually seems quite decent.

Rachel doesn't really understand the hierarchy of the school board and the chain of command, though she has tried learning. All she really knows is that someone up there let Sue Sylvester replace Principal Figgins for a good while and Rachel can't find it in her to believe that that person was Mrs. Johnson. The fact is, Mrs. Johnson seems like she can do her job and actually cares for her students. When Rachel was petitioning to have vegan substitutions introduced as an option for the school lunches, she had lessoned carefully and attentively, making little notations I her folder. Principal Figgins always just sat there and tuned her out, unless it was of the utmost importance, and the told her it wasn't in the budget.

Rachel believes Mrs. Johnson is fair, determined, and also has the power to get things done.

Then again, Rachel had a similar opinion of Mr. Shuester at first, and that opinion wanes often.

Rachel feels a little bit bad about the subterfuge of the situation, but is also aware that she has no choice.

She has gotten a man fired on (probably true) pedophilic molestation claims and sent a young girl to an (inactive) crack house all for the chance to shine in the spotlight. She can make sure that one homophobic bully gets what is coming to him to make sure Kurt can live safely and happily. She just has to make sure this works.

She sets her face, trying to use her own real emotions to make this work. This is not a show face or a poker face. She already planned on what emotions she should be feeling, in this situation, and had practiced in front of the mirror to make sure she got it right.

Her gaze is averted, not looking at the superintendent as if she was feeling some sort of shame about the whole situation. Her mouth is not puckered in a pout or a full-fledge frown, but rather is lightly clenched, as if she is forcibly reigning some emotion back. Her brows show a slight furrow, a hesitant glare, because, even though the situation exploded in a direction she (supposedly) did not want, she does not regret her actions. Her eyes themselves, focused only on the floor, hold the hint of unshed tears.

It's perfect. Not too much, not too emotional, but definitely shows that she was effected by the situation. She even makes sure to hunch her back a little and bring her arms up as if hugging herself, protecting herself from the world.

She is a genius.

A quick glance at Quinn shows that the other girl has put on her own ice queen mask, which may not be exactly appropriate for the situation, but is better than Finn would have managed in the same situation. At Rachel's glance, the other girl raises an impressed eyebrow at Rachel's quick shift in demeanor. Rachel wants to sigh in exasperation at the show of emotion, emotion that really doesn't fit the scene, but holds it in and turns away from the girl.

After all, not everybody is an actress of her caliber.

"How are you doing, Rachel?" Mrs. Johnson asks, tone filled with nothing but polite concern. She goes to rest a gentle hand on Rachel's shoulder, but Rachel makes sure to flinch lightly away.

She hears more than sees Quinn shuffle next her, sitting awfully close, before the other girl places a comforting hand of her that she is careful not to flinch away from. She's not sure what game Quinn is playing at this point, but is sure to go along with it.

As painful as it is to admit, Quinn saw right through her and has the power in this play, so she can only hope that Quinn in on her side.

After all, any side is better than Karofsky's, right? Mrs. Johnson begins speaking again.

"Did the nurse look over you?" she asks when Rachel doesn't give her an answer to the first question, looking around the room in slight confusion. Rachel looks at the older women directly for the first time since she walked in the room.

"The nurse wasn't here so we just sat," she answers softly, acting somewhat out of character, but she figures it is acceptable as she has undergone a harrowing experience and the older women doesn't know how she normally acts or reacts in any situation.

"I don't even know if we have one right now," Quinn is quick to add-in, apparently anxious to make the school look as badly as possible, "after the last one tried to get all of us addicted to drugs, I don't remember Fig- Principal Figgins hiring a new one. Puck still comes here to sleep off Math class, though, so who knows."

Something in Mrs. Johnson's gaze hardens, and she quickly, after setting down the manila folder, pulls out a small notebook and jots something down. She may have been back to welcome Figgins back to his post, but she is quite obviously not pleased with what she was seeing. She sets down the notebook with a sigh and grabs some papers out of the manila folder.

"Well," she says, "that is not going to do at all. Are you feeling well enough to talk about everything that happened, or do you need to be checked over. Either way, we'll make sure to get you checked out after this is all done." Rachel thinks on this, knowing that demanding health assistance would give her more time possibly to get her story straight with Quinn, but knows she isn't hurt. And she kind of wants to just get everything over with.

"I'm fine," she says with a sigh and decides to add a little bit truth to the situation, "I just want to get this all over with." The superintendent gives her a sympathetic look as Quinn gives her a comforting squeeze.

"I completely understand. We are trying to get in contact with your parents, but are having some trouble in that regard," Mrs. Johnson starts, and Rachel allows an understanding nod, knowing her fathers, "so we can either continue on and get this over with, or keep trying to get in contact with them. Your choice."

"It won't-" Rachel starts, beginning to explain that it would probably take a while to reach her dads, but stops, feeling that wouldn't be the best idea right now, "- doesn't matter. I'm – I'm fine, so there's no need to rush them. I'll talk to them about it later." The older woman nods understandingly, though it is debatable how much she truly understands.

She turns to Quinn, who has been observing quietly with a somewhat shrewd expression on her face.

"Will you be okay to head to your next class, or do you need some kind of pass. If you stop at his office, principal Figgins can get you what you need," she tells the younger girl.

For a moment, and just a moment, Rachel freezes. It's not that she needs Quinn there or anything, after all, this is all, mostly, going according to plan. The one aspect that is not following her plan is Quinn. In a way, it would be great to send Quinn away and not have to worry about her and her actions but…well, she would still be worried. She has no idea how Quinn is going to act in this situation, and, frankly, she really needs to figure it out.

Like Finn tried to say at the beginning of the year, she is a little controlling. She had this all figured out, but she knows that Quinn could ruin it all if she really wanted to. Sometimes, Rachel can look at the other girl and, not only know what she is going to do, but understands completely why she is doing it. And then there are other times, like right now, when she has no idea what is going through the other girls mind.

Sometimes, there are little breaks in Quinn's self-made mask, used to keep everyone at a distance, that let her gain some insight into the other girl. It usually only happens when they are alone, just the two of them, and she imagines that Quinn is just the type of person that can't, at least during this period of her life, open up or be herself in front of a crowd. Rachel doubts it has anything to do with her. This isn't one of those times. So, before she can really process anything, Rachel opens her mouth.

"Wait," she blurts, her words stopping a hesitant Quinn as she begins to get up and attracting Mrs. Johnson's attention, " I- I don't want to wait for my dads, but I still…can't Quinn stay? I mean, for support." Rachel is taking a risk here.

Really, there are basically two ways Quinn can respond to this situation. Either she'll work with Rachel or against her. If she's with her, keeping her around basically only helps her by giving her more information on the situation. If she's against her, though, then keeping her around will only make everything worse.

The more knowledge she has, the more she can do against her and being in the room with her and the superintendent – and shouldn't Figgins also be here? Rachel planned for him to be here – the more opportunities she has to ruin everything. And Rachel shouldn't trust Quinn. She shouldn't. The other girl doesn't like her, rejected every single one of Rachel's offers for friendship, and has nothing to lose from shooting Rachel down. But she can't help herself.

She wants Quinn to be on her side. It sort of seemed like she would be moments ago, before they were interrupted, and she just really wants to give Quinn another chance. She has never really understood this weird preoccupation she has with Quinn, she sometimes rationalizes that it only exists because Quinn seems to have developed a weird fixation on her first, but she knows it will, probably, be her downfall one day. She hopes today isn't that day.

Mrs. Johnson smiles kindly at her, giving a quick glance at Quinn, who looked a little shocked.

"Of course, if it will help you feel comfortable. We talked to Mr. Chang and he said the two of you are in a club together, but didn't really… hang out, I believe were his exact words. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable," she says in her easy manner, and Rachel reminds herself that she is the victim here.

She signs softly to herself as Quinn sits next to her again, closer this time, and uncharacteristically grasps her hand. She supposes it is a comforting gesture.

"So, Rachel," Mrs. Johnsons starts, opening the manila folder and her notebook, "would you like to start with your version of today's events?" Rachel is, having rehearsed this part a number of times, ready to get this over with, but then, for the first time, Quinn pipes up. It is a relief, honestly, because Rachel was wondering where her voice had gone.

"Her version of the events?" Quinn asks somewhat rudely, "You mean the truth? What did Karofsky say?" The superintendent gives Quinn what appears to be a condescending look.

"I'm sure it is the truth. I wasn't implying anything else, but David's side must remain his for now. We have to hear Rachel's without any…contamination." Rachel understands what she was saying, had actually been planning on this response, but she does hear Quinn growl next to her.

Before Quinn can actually respond, and judging by the fierce expression on her face, it would have been soon, Rachel tightens her grip on the other girl and pulls her closer.

"That's fine," Rachel says, "I understand completely and it doesn't matter to me what David says. It won't change what I say in any way." The older woman smiles at her and gives her a nod to continue, so Rachel takes a deep breath.

She doesn't really notice the way Quinn shuffles a little closer to her at the sound, or the way she continues to glare at the older women. All she knows is that Quinn basically, if unnecessarily, came to her defense and is apparently, once again, up for helping her out.

Alright then, her version of the events. Just like she rehearsed…

"Well, to be honest, if I'm going to tell you what happened, you should probably know the history that impacted today's events. This school can be…harsh on people like me. I mean, I have two gay dads. I have big dreams and a big voice that will, along with perseverance and diligence, help me make those big dreams come true. I like Broadway, am a member of as many non-conflicting clubs as possible, and participate in every talent competition that I have even the slightest chance of winning. I'm small, talk too much, and wear clothes that, supposedly, make others want to scratch their eyes out…for some reason. Needless to say, I am not the most popular person at this school.

I get slushied daily, sometimes more than once actually, and the teaching staff does absolutely nothing to stop it or punish the perpetrators. Aside from slushies, I have also had the pleasure of having eggs, pee balloons, hot food, toilet paper, and, in one bizarre _Carrie_-inspired incident, tampons thrown at me. I have been tripped, shoved, gossiped about, teased, called all sorts of names, and have had my personal possessions stolen or flushed down the toilet.

I am, also, not the only one who experiences this day-to-day cesspool that is supposed to be the best years of my life. Most of the people in Glee Club, for instance, have experienced much of the same, though mostly not to quite the same degree. And, just for the record, much of this…torture has been happening long before Glee Club was formed and does happen to people outside of it. Tina has been shoved against lockers, Finn has had people draw on his face with marker, Artie has been locked in a porta-potty, Quinn has, while pregnant, been multi-slushied, and Kurt…out of everybody, Kurt Hummel has had it just as bad as me."

Rachel takes a small moment to pull Quinn closer for comfort, although it is more for Quinn, who started shifting awkwardly at the mention of her pregnancy, than Rachel. Still, Rachel has no trouble with talking about herself, even the bad parts, it comes mostly naturally. It's when she talks about other people that things get uncomfortable and people, for some reason, get offended and mad at her. It is something she has been trying to work on.

"Kurt has the boys at this school making fun of his homosexuality before he came out, making fun of his dress sense and his personality, just like me. He has been slushied, thrown into dumpsters, shoved and pushed around, and even had his lawn furniture nailed to his roof. He was able to put up with this. But recently, one student, and I'm sure you can guess who, has focused extensively on Kurt and pushed and threatened him to the point where Kurt could not go through normal life. David Karofsky tortured Kurt so severely that he didn't feel safe anymore. Even surrounded by friends and people who care about him, he was scared enough that his parents used their _honeymoon_ money to transfer him to a private school.

Today was the first day Kurt wasn't here. Kurt and I have always had a certain adversarial quality to our relationship, mostly because we are so similar, but I care quite a bit about him.

Today was also the end of David's temporary suspension where he finds out that, not only did he get off basically scot-free, but has actually won and forced Kurt out of school. Not only does this mean he will need to find a new outlet for his aggression, but this situation is one that will teach him that, in the future, he can act like this and get what he wants. Threats and physical violence will lead to him succeeding in the world.

This is not acceptable to me. I do not, as a rule, antagonize people. Nor do I hold grudges. I would much rather have someone as a friend than an enemy, but I also won't lose my principles.

If someone is going through a rough time…" and yes, Rachel may have accidently allowed her gaze to focus on Quinn for a moment, "I would do my best to help them, but not at someone else's expense. I am currently dating Finn Hudson, who is the related-by-marriage brother of Kurt. When everything was happening, when things were really rough, I tried to get him to help Kurt and he couldn't…didn't."

Rachel knows Quinn is focusing very intently on her, and Rachel worries if allowing her to stay was really the right choice. Because so much of what she is saying could easily apply to Quinn.

She doesn't want to make the association, really there is none in her mind, but it will most likely seem that way to Quinn as she talks. Rachel, like Kurt, has always been deemed a loser by the general populace of McKinley High, because of the clothes they wore, the way they talked, they way they act, and just about every aspect of their personalities. Yes, Kurt, before he came out (which was never an official thing, but he eventually stopped denying it), was in a transparent closet at best, and Rachel never denied her two gay dads. But it was their ambition, their belief that there were bigger and better things out there, were what really differentiated them from the rest of the nerds and geeks that their more popular classmates picked on.

Kurt had the jocks after him, and Rachel had to contend with the Cheerios, but it had always been Quinn that had picked on her specifically, for whatever reason. Rachel sometimes wondered if it was because she was the Queen Bee, but there was no doubt that, since she transferred here, Quinn had a bizarre fixation on Rachel, especially considering that Quinn was one kinder popular kids to everyone else.

Karofsky's obsession with Kurt was much more recent, really only occurring, to her knowledge, since he had quit hockey for football. It made her wonder if he figured that, as he was now on the more popular sport's team, he had to up his bullying to stay on top, or if being a football player gave him the acceptance and means that allowed him to up his bullying.

As far as picking on Kurt in particular…it could just be that he was a socially acceptable target. Like Jacob Ben Israel, no one batted an eye when Kurt was shoved or slushied, most people just laughed. But the obsessive nature, continuing it to the point of a (temporary) expulsion, hinted at something more.

His reactions to the jibes at his sexuality spoke volumes, and did make her understand him a little bit better. He could have some of her sympathy, just like Quinn had been allowed some of her sympathy, but she would not allow it to alter her plans. Because, in the end, a person's problems – including their sexuality – are not responsible for their choices and their actions.

She would have no problem forgiving him, though she would never try and influence Kurt into doing such a thing, if he ceased his actions and sincerely apologized.

She just didn't see that happening.

She knew that, right here and right now, his fear and insecurities off his situation, maybe even his personality for all she knew, were clouding his perception enough to lead him to actions that were not acceptable for any reason. And she didn't see that happening anytime soon, at the very least, not in time to help Kurt.

That is why Rachel would never draw up similarities, at least to her face, between Karofsky and Quinn.

Quinn had tormented her, with a definite fixation, and made her miserable a lot of the time. And, for the most part, it was without cause. She interacted more with Quinn than the other Cheerios, but only because they shared honors classes, and she had never intentionally insulted or antagonized the other girl. She may have annoyed her, really she annoyed everyone, but that would only warrant a sharp word here and there to put her in her place from the Cheerios perception. And, yes, she had tried to steal Finn away from her, but the antagonistic relationship had begun way before she even knew Finn's name.

But Quinn certainly never made her fear for her life. She has felt many things for the other girl, anger, exasperation, admiration, worry, and, yes, a little fear, but never a terror that would make her want to do anything to get away from her. If anything, her somewhat bizarre relationship made her want to get closer and figure her out. She had built a system of ignoring the blond when she was acting antagonistic (and she knew how much Quinn hated to be ignored), and being kind any other time, launching herself to help whenever the girl was forced to show her vulnerable side.

The two situations were not really comparable, but she knew her words were forcing Quinn to compare anyways.

So even as she talked, and she really wished she had a bottle of water right now, she reached over and actually grasped Quinn's hand, ignoring the slight flinch. It was small enough that their audience, still appearing to hang on Rachel's words, didn't notice.

And Rachel knew Quinn would accept the contact, if only so Mrs. Johnson wouldn't notice her pulling away.

She held the hand and squeezed it comfortingly, leaning into the other girl.

"If someone is going through a rough time," she repeats, trying to get back on track, "I will help them, even if they don't ask.

I will not, though, allow them to harm anybody else. And, no matter if you're my friend or my boyfriend, I will inform them if their actions, or inactions, are inappropriate, and I do not really care if that costs me friends.

Like I said, I don't antagonize people, at least not purposefully, but I don't back off when people are doing the wrong thing. Karofsky cannot be allowed to go through life thinking this is okay, even if the faculty at this school are okay with it. For him, for Kurt, for all the kids who stand back and watch, wanting to help but not wanting to become a target, I told myself that I would not back down anymore.

The only advice people at this school seem to give me are 'ignore them and they'll go away' or 'kill them with kindness' and while I respect this, I certainly do not see it working.

So I made the first effort today. I stood up to Karofsky and told him, to his face, that what he was doing with Kurt was not justifiable, no matter his reasons."

Rachel stood firm. She had made many a speech in her time, although this was one of the longer and more drawn out ones, but she was proud of it. She kept her gaze strong, full of pride and defiance, even as she spoke the words that basically mocked the school. She did keep a death grip on Quinn's hand, though.

The older lady looked at them through her glasses and sighed deeply. Rachel figured that she probably knew there were problems with the school. Figgins was notorious for his budget problems and, let's face it, any school that would allow the school's cheerleading coach – and, yes, Rachel was fairly certain that was her only job at McKinley, despite the fact that most coaches were also teachers – to become the principal, even after that coach has had multiple probationary hearings and had, for a period of time, been suspended was just asking to be closed.

It was an awful school with some of the lowest grades in any of the nearby districts.

"I understand that this school has had bullying in the past, and I am sorry for your friend Kurt," she stated in a weary tone, the one that normally appeared when forced with contact with Rachel, "Of course, I will take that all into consideration. But could you please inform me of the events that led up to today's situation."

Rachel wanted to huff and pout. Of course she would get to that, but the back-story of her character is important. How could Mrs. Johnson possibly understand and appreciate the meaning of her actions without knowing her past. She still had to tell her about the intricacies of Glee Club and Kurt's plan to transfer to Dalton and become a Warbler.

She caught Quinn looking at her meaningfully, although what that meaning was she was hesitant to say. She was not a mind reader, despite her having a growing sixth sense.

One of Quinn's eyebrows began to rise, Quinn was looking at her as if she was the mind reader. Apparently, Quinn could see that Rachel was on the cusp of doing something dramatic, so she pulled her into a tight hug, meant to appear comforting and hissed into her ear.

"Just get on with it and don't do anything stupid. And shorten the speeches, you're losing her," the other girl hissed quietly, warm breath stinging her cheek unexpectedly.

Right. Okay.

Fine.

"Of course," Rachel says calmly, turning back to the superintendent as Quinn pulls away, "Sorry, I do tend to ramble a bit."

"She really does," Quinn interrupted with a fond smile, apparently better at putting on a show than Rachel first thought, "It's a little endearing, actually." And then the soft smile was focused on her.

She couldn't really help the heat flooding her cheeks, it was very rare to receive a compliment, especially from Quinn, but she made sure to smile back, if a bit hesitantly.

While she appreciated Quinn playing along and getting into the spirit of the performance, she really needed to stick to an easier script. Improv wasn't really one of her strong suits, despite the classes she takes every Wednesday at eight o'clock and the bi-monthly visits to the improv theatre.

"Yes, well," Rachel began, clearing her throat nervously as the other two women exchange chuckles, "Let us get on with it as you suggested, feel free to interrupt if you have any questions." And, really, she's speaking to both of them.

"I exited my homeroom today with the resolution that I was done simply putting up with being treated like garbage, no matter the consequences," Rachel started, ignoring Quinn's eye roll and Mrs. Johnson's grimace as she began what sounded like another speech.

"I ran into David in the north hallway, or rather he ran into me. Like his normal brutish self, he could not just let a gleek walk by without a light shove." Rachel ignored Quinn's unladylike snort as she uses the clever portmanteau for glee and geek to describe herself. She thinks it is clever.

"And why were you in the north hallway, Rachel, when your next class nor your locker is in that area," Mrs. Johnson interrupts. Rachel feels Quinn freeze and hopes the girl is keeping her face blank.

Rachel is a little impressed with the older women's thoroughness and attention to detail, a trait she admires greatly, but has spent countless hours on this and is more than prepared for this line of questioning.

"While I would love to say that I have friends in this hallway I meet up with or some such nonsense," Rachel answers with a wry grin, her calm tone instantly settling Quinn's worries, "the truth is a little more pathetic. Although, it does prove the usefulness of my earlier monologue, so thank you very much for asking. My first class is actually in one of the few classrooms around the entrance to the gym and outside fields, as well as the locker rooms. Many of the jocks as well as the football players have their first class around there as both Coach Sylvester and Bieste prefer to get a morning start. I think Coach Bieste also hopes it will wake up her players to pay attention for the rest of the day.

Either way, they are always milling about in the hallway before the first class. As I told you, none of them particularly like me, so I tend to take the long route through north hallway to get to approach my class from the other side. It takes longer so most of them have headed into the locker rooms, but it also illuminates the need to pass most of them in the hallway. This-"

"Yes, I understand," the superintendent cuts her off, "Please continue with the story."

Rachel desperately wants to break character, but holds her response in, grinning tightly at the women.

"Next time, Rachel," Quinn adds, giving her another pointed look, "Just say you take the long way to avoid bullies." This time she can't hold in a huff.

"Quinn Fabray, people should always be given the fullest most complete answer to their questions. Who knows how people might interpret cheap short-cuts in language," she snips, unable to hold everything in.

"Yes, if this was a courtroom I could see why that would matter," Quinn responds, though she seems to deflate even while talking. Apparently, she knows Rachel well enough to see her response.

"Are you insinuating that this isn't important?" Rachel gasps dramatically, though not for show. This is just really how she naturally acts. "Quinn, this basically is a courtroom."

"No," Quinn is quick to shoot out, and Rachel can already see that budding gleam that appears every time the two of them have a confrontation. It has been a while, but the light in her eyes flicker like a candle and her mouth twitches up slightly, as if poised to either smile or snarl. "If anything, this would be a witness statement. The point though, is to be honest and clear. While honest, your rambles are definitely not clear. That's what makes them rambles. We're trying to keep this short, remember."

Rachel holds back her response as Mrs. Johnson interrupts them.

"Ladies, settle down. It is true that it is easier to get lost with long, detailed speeches, but I appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness to discuss this," she says, obviously trying to be peacemaker in the somewhat bizarre situation of two girls she thought were close friends snarling at each other.

The two settled down. They had lost physical contact during the short confrontation, both pulling away as they turned to face each other, but were still sitting close.

Apparently on the same brain wave, the two shuffled away from each other, moving to opposite ends of the nurses cot.

"Anyways," Rachel continues tightly, hoping for no more interruptions, "David roughly shouldered me and said something to the effect of 'Watch it, Freak'" Rachel makes sure to imitate his voice to the best of her abilities, something which garners another eye roll from Quinn.

"Normally, I would ignore the push and the name calling," Rachel says keeping her eyes on the wall. She knows this is where it will get a little harder.

"But you didn't today?" Mrs. Johnson asks, making a little notation in her folder. Rachel grits her teeth.

"No, I didn't. Letting him get away with that day after day is what makes him believe it is okay to harass another student to the point where that student transfers," she says, steely eyed and voice low. This is why she did what she did. She has her reasons and she is not ashamed of them. She doesn't notice the way Quinn's eyes soften as they look at her.

"So, what was your response," the superintendent asks calmly.

"I believe I told him to watch it in return and called him a jerk," she responded calmly.

"And you don't believe this is instigating things," Mrs. Johnsons questions and Rachel's blood boils. She holds it in, clamping her teeth tightly and glaring at floor behind her bangs. A shuffling beside her causes her to look at Quinn and see that the other girl is also looking a bit angry. She steadies herself.

"No, him pushing and insulting me was instigating. Mine was a response telling him I wasn't going to sit back and take it. He as a large male, menaced me with his physicality to make me cower and I didn't. He basically threatened me when all I used against him were words. I didn't instigate anything. I responded. If people are allowed to call me names and threaten me, then I deserve the same allowances. I will tell you, in complete honesty, that I did stand up to him.

I told him that if he treated me like Kurt, I wouldn't back down. If he attacked me, I would attack back, maybe not physically, but with my wits and resources. And, yes, I did imply that he was a homosexual in front of the other students. Admittedly, that was a rather poor response, but the worst thing to call a homophobe is a homosexual. I don't see it as an insult. The popular group stopped trying to use it as an insult ages ago, switching over to calling me a cross-dressing man or a transsexual, depending on the mood, instead, because it is not an insult. Sometimes it is a falsehood, but it is not an insult, and the fact that so many people see it as such is disgusting."

This all hits a little too close to home for her. Her plan has gone somewhat off book, regrettably, and this does bother her. What really bothers her, though, is the way she can't seem to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. She doesn't like to let people see her cry, unless it is a planned move or for an acting role, because she sees it as a sign of weakness. She is better than this.

Quinn, apparently over their angry spat, moves closer again and loops an arm around her waist, pulling her into a half hug. While it is not the most comforting hug she has experienced, it allows her to hide her face from the still watching superintendent in Quinn's neck. It allows her a few moments to regain control. She thinks this is why Quinn, who doubtlessly dislikes her, pulled her into the hug.

"Thanks," she whispers into the other girl's ear and feels the other girl stiffen. Quinn soon moves away and Rachel tries to hurriedly compose herself.

"Listen," Quinn says in that fierce, no-nonsense tone she no doubt learned from Coach Sylvester, "I think you got everything you need to know. Rachel was minding her own business, reacted a little dramatically to physical and verbal abuse and, in response, was attacked by a football player twice her size. This isn't his first time with this sort of thing and this time you have witnesses. I think we all know what needs to happen. And if it doesn't happen…"

Quinn's speech, harsh and truthful, caused Rachel and the superintendent to stare. Aside from their brief argument, Quinn had mostly been quiet. Rachel notices the look Quinn's giving her, eyebrow raised in all, and reacts, with a grin.

"If it doesn't happen," she says, leaning into Quinn, "you can expect to hear from my father's contacts at the ACLU." Quinn gave the lady a sickly sweet smile, tilting her head slightly – it's a bit terrifying, by the way – and stands up, pulling Rachel with her.

"I hope you'll understand that this has been a very trying day for Rachel," she said, voice remaining pleasant, if a little scary. "It's a bit much to expect her to stay, and she does still need to get check out. So, I'll take her to the doctors or home or whatever, since someone can't seem to find her dads and others are too young to drive. I expect we'll both be excused."

Without another word, Quinn pulls them from the room, down the empty hallway.

"For the record," Rachel starts, "I do have my permit. It was a bit of a hassle to get, but I just need to get past my six-month probationary period. I'm already an adequate driver. And I can walk home."

"Please," Quinn snorts, and, yes, somehow even that is attractive, "You probably can't even reach the gas. And you're not walking home."

They eventually make it to Quinn's car and Rachel settles in, trying to resist the urge to fiddle with the radio, as Quinn pulls out.

"Thank you for that, by the way," Rachel finally says, because it needed to be said and because the silence was getting a bit much.

"Whatever," Quinn replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

"No really," Rachel bit her lip, needing to get this out, "I know that, once they figured out the plan, most of the glee club would have gone along with it for Kurt's sake, but you actually helped me. I don't know if Finn would have done that." Quinn lets out a small noise of exasperation.

"Why is it always about Finn with you," she states, voice barely steady as she averts her gaze to Rachel for just a moment. "I went along with it because it was the right thing to do. Just because you had some crazy plan, didn't mean Karofsky didn't shove you. You didn't force him to act like that and he deserves everything he gets." Her grip seems to tighten around the staring wheel and they take a sharp turn. Rachel looks out the window, not really knowing where they are and wondering if she should be offering her address.

"And," Quinn continues, "I helped you because you needed it…and I owed you."

This doesn't completely sit right with Rachel. While she will admit that Quinn has caused her many problems in the past, she doesn't believe in some universal tally system. Even if she did, Rachel was quite sure the slate was wiped clean at the beginning of the year when Quinn agreed to help her test Finn. Her brow furrowed.

"You don't owe me anything…though I disagree that I needed help. I could have handled it," she says, trying to make a point but still keep things light.

"Right, whatever," Quinn responds with a small grin, "You were totally losing it. Whatever happens in your future, when you're trying to become a star, I hope you get a good manager to keep you from either pulling these stunts or helping you when they go wrong."

"Fine, Quinn Fabray," Rachel snips, "You can be my manager in New York and be responsible for keeping me and 'my crazy' in line. And, after he comes back to McKinley, Kurt can be my fashion adviser. All of the Glee Club will have a place in my Rachel Berry Stardom Dynasty."

Quinn can't control an escaping quick burst of laughter, even as she actually looks a little wistful. They finally pull into Rachel's driveway, of course car-free, and Rachel realizes that Quinn must have taken the long way there.

They sit for a moment in silence, before they both speak at the same time.

"Are you gonna be o-"

"Do you want to c-"

They both stop and Rachel clears her throat awkwardly.

"Would you like to come in?" she finally asks. "I don't really want to spend the entire day home alone, as I am not up to any of my normal activities right now. But we could get some take out for lunch…or something."

Quinn looks at her contemplatively for a moment, but hesitantly agrees. It is the start of something magnificent, Rachel imagines. And it turns out, for the most part, she is right.

Her plan ends up working. Karofsky doesn't end up expelled, but rather school quietly asks him to transfer elsewhere and, somehow, he ends up going to Dalton. Kurt, even before finding out where the other boy ended up, is transferred back to McKinley, money completely refunded, though he does keep in contact with the cute boy he met.

The newly married couple does get to go on their honeymoon and Rachel gets her first sip of alcohol at the party the two boys throw in the empty house.

Unfortunately, an intoxicated Rachel discovers the truth of Finn's virginity in a timely game of drunken truth or dare and break up with him on the spot, immediately moving to make out, and then sing, with the visiting Warbler before Quinn, mumbling about managing the girl and clean-up, pulls her away.

She regrets breaking up with Finn the next day, but the boy is upset with her making out with Blaine, especially since the boy undergoes a moment of thinking he might be bisexual. Kurt is also mad at her, although, when the situation somehow ends with him dating the Warbler, he forgives her. Blaine and Rachel really hit it off, though, even if it is not romantic, and the three end up spending a lot of time together, forging a friendship between Kurt and Rachel.

Throughout it all, Quinn and Rachel slowly but surely form their own friendship, to the point where Quinn supports her breaking up with Finn and ends up quitting the Cheerios to stay with Glee. Rachel even helps Quinn repair her relationship with Quinn and Santana.

They do have their own moments and arguments. Like when Quinn, in a moment of lunacy and insecurity, kisses Finn and ends up with Sam breaking up with her. The two are able to move passed it though and forgive each other after Rachel, with Quinn in mind, writes the song that wins them Regional's.

Eventually the two get to know each other better. Quinn spends time trying to convince Rachel she's better than this small town and shouldn't have anything holding her back and Rachel tries to convince Quinn that she is just as worthwhile and will get out too.

Neither of them is completely successful, but when they graduate, the two of them do head off to New York together, ending up sharing an apartment together with Kurt and continuing their education in the big city.

**That last bit is really just an epilogue of sorts. I could always go into more detail on some of them, but it would be in brief snap-shots rather than a chronological chapter-by-chapter story.**


End file.
